Electrotype printing roll for addressing machines



H. P. ELLIOTT Oct. v4, 1 932.

ELECTROTYPE PRINTING ROLL FOR ADDRESSING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Shes?I l Filed May 9. 1930 H. P. ELLIOTT Oct. 4, 1932.

ELECTROTYPE PRINTING ROLL FOR ADDRESSING MACHINES Filed May 9, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenvf:

H. P. ELLlo'rT Oct. 4, 1932'.

ELECTROTLPE PRINTING ROLL FOR ADDRESSING MACHINES 5 sheets-sheet 3 Filed May 9. 1930 lvezol".

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ww Nu Sv nl@ Q Patented Oct. 4, 1932 UNITED STATES EARMON I. ELLIOTT, OF WATERTOWN, 'MASSAH'USETTS ELECTROTYP PRINTING ROLL FOR .ADDRESSING- l!.\C|CA(`}IIINES Appncation ined May e, 1930. serial No. 451,019. i

This invention relates'to electrotype printing rolls that are especially designed for use in connection with addressing machines for printing the periodical bills issued by various public utilities at the same time the bills are addressed.

The electrotype roll with which the present invention is concerned comprises a cylinder or drum of which the entire circumferential extent is occupied byelectrotype plates bearing printing charactersthat correspond with the makeup of the printed portion of the bill and which are not varied between issues unless a diiierent design of bill is adopted. Thus the same electrotype plate is called upon to print an indeiinitely large number of bills. Due to the extended use of the same electro- 'type plates, over and over again. and tothe e v heavy printing pressure applied to the plates, 20

it isfound that in time the printing becomes uneven in intensity even though the type characters on the plates appear still to be sharp and usable. Investigation has indicated that this trouble is dueto the fact that metal of the electrotype plates flows under the repeated pressures to which the plates are subjected so that the plates are caused to expand in area and thereby to buckle and lose their conformity vto the surface ofthe drum to which they are attached. I have found after considerable experimenting and investigation that this trouble can Vbe eliminated by making Vthe electrotype plates/of relatively small area and keeping them out of abutting engagement with eachv other and "in so securing them to the supporting drum that the material of which the plates are composed can flow without changing the conliguration of the platesl or causing, them to warp or buckle, and this constitutes the prime object of the present invention. A further object Vof the invention is generally to improve the construction of electrotype printing rolls and plates for addressing machines. Y Y

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a printing roll embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a section takenfalong line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the roll looking at the right hand end of the roll of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4.- is avview similar to Fig. 3 but viewing the roll from the left hand end of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail illustrating the manner of securing an electrotype plate to 55 the roll taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. l6 is a sectional detail taken along line 6-6 of Fig.'1.

Fig. 7 is a perspective detail of the peripheral portion of the roll and illustrating `60 the grooves for holding the changeable dateprinting characters. Y

Fig. 8 is a developed view of the printing roll and the electrotype plates thereon.

The printing roll here shown'as embody- YK'65 ing the invention includes a solid hub or disc 10 which is keyed tothe driving shaft 12. The hub is providedwith an outer peripheral face 14C on which is located the cylindrical w `drum 16 which bears the electrotype plates. 7b The vparticular drum here shown is composed of Vthree cylindrically shaped segments or sections 18, 2() and 22, see especially Fig. 4, which are located in end-abutting relation on the hub 10, and have grooves 24 in their "15 inner faces in Vwhich the peripheral portion 14 of the hub is located and are secured to the hub by screws 26. The sections are provided with raised portions intermediate their Side J-.V edges which cooperate to form in eii'ect an 80 endless raised flange or ledge 28 that extends completely about the periphery of the drum vand preferably is corrugated or knurled to` 'provide a driving face which engages the bill and advances it in non-slipping engagement' 95 with vthe electrotype plates carried by the roll as the roll is rotated. Y .p c

The middle portion of the drum is also provided with an upstanding peripheral 1 flange 30 in the middle thereof located beside the driving flange 28 in which the attaching screws 26 are countersunk and which provides a circumferentially continuous blank space A that is free from printing characters and thus 95 provides a space on the bill in which the address can be printed. The peripheral por- Vtion of the roll is provided with various electrotype plates a, b, c, Le and f, see especially Fig. 8, and other plates g, 7L and la, which bear '100 `and 3, which are secured tothe eIlClS f the lao lengthwise out of the channels. VThe concertain type characters and particularly dates which are adapted to be changed each month prior to the printing and addressing of each new Vissue of bills.V The electrotype plates,

however, are adapted to remain onthe'roll trotype plates. The opposite side edges-"34 of the electrotype plates are. dove-tailed or are tapered downwardly and outwardly from ythe ltop faces thereof as illustrated in Fig. 5 and the sidewalls of the plate'holdingchannels are :similarly shaped as at 36 to receive the ,plates and to hold them in Iengagement with the rolls. The outer peripheral edges of the plates at one end ofthe roll are engaged by the segmental rings 38, see especially Figs. 2

drum segments by screws 40 and which have axially directed flangesv 42 that are locatedl within and-"engage the inner; faces ofthe ldrum segments. Said rings 38 upstand above .the plate channels in thedrum andhave inwardly inclined inner k'faces-44Y that engage` -the .correspondingly-shaped outer edges of the electrotype plates thereby to cooperate with the grooves 36Lto hold the plates onto the drum. `The plates at the otherrend kof the drum are retained in place by segmental rings 46 which ha'veinclinedfaces'48 that engage the inclined faces of thenouter edge portions of the plates d, e and f. Said ring segments 46 have inwardly and downwardly tapered bottom walls 50 that are y.seated in a peripheral groove 52 formed in the drum and are secured to the drum segments by the screws 54. The-drum segments are also provided with other dove-tailed channels 56 that receive lthe. plates g, 7L and lo, that. bear the changeable printing data such .as the dates. These plates areremovable by sliding them fronting edges of the .variouselectrotype y plates-are spaced apart by thel spaces 58 which are suffcientlyllong in circumferential extent so that the plates can not engage eachgother Y when they become expanded inuse and therei -by buckle. While the plates are held .firmly onto the periphery of the drum against any mechanical displacement thereomthe holding Vmeans is so arranged that the material of the plates can flow or the-plates can growin a circumferential direction without encounterin'gfanymsuch obstruction aswould causethe plates to warp or buckle. The axial widths of ,Q0

thel plates are sufficiently small so that there is no appreciable growth or enlargement of the plates in an axial direction under the vprinting pressure. The plates also are sufficiently small in area so that they can expand freely l`without undergoing a deleterious change in configuration. With this construction the plates have been found to have a much longer usable lifel than with the heretofore used construction wherein the electrotype plates were either peripherally continuous or where held in abutting engagement Vor were so large inarea that they would not maintain their configuration lwhen subjected to conseparately carried by said hub, cylindrically curved electrotype .plates arranged on. the

`drum sections, and occupying substantially the entire circumferential extentof the drum, and plate securingmeanscarried by the drum sections which engage the opposite side edges y of said plates and secure them to the drum kagainst displacement, there being spaces of sufficiently long circumferential extent betweenthe confrontingends of said Aplates so that the material of said plates canexpand ,freelyv circumferentially without opposition and without abutting against each other in said spaces whereby to maintain the original configurationl ofY said 1 plates and prevent warping thereof under extended use.

l2. A printing-roll for addressing machines comprising a cylindrical hub, drum sections carried by said hub, a plurality of vcylin- .drically curved electrotype-plates located on the periphery ofsaid drum sections andoccupying collectively substantially the entire .circumferential extent of the drum, there being vacantspaces of substantial circumferential extent between the confronting ends ofsaidl plates and at the ends of the sections, and plate securingmeans which frictionally. engage the opposite edges of said plates and I, retain them on said drum against displacement, the plates being capable Vof. permanent VexpansionV circumferentially while engaged by said frictional securing means into `said vacant spaces without abuttingl against each other whereby to preserve the original configuration of said `plates and prevent the buckling thereof with extended use.i

" Y 3. Aprinting roll for addressing machines comprising a circular drum,v composed of a plurality of segments which vcollectively presenta continuous cylindrical periphery, cylinkdrically shaped electrotype plates carried by i sent a continuous cylindrical periphery, cylindrically shaped electrotype plates carried by said segments and occupying practically the entire circumferential extent of said drum and having their confronting ends separated by vacant spaces of substantial circumferential extent at the confronting ends thereof, said segments having means providing circumferentially extended dove-tailed channels in which said plates are located.

5. A printing roll for addressing machines comprising a circular drum composed of a plurality of segments Which collectively present a continuous cylindrical periphery, cylindrically shaped electrotype plates carried by said segments and occupying practically the entire circumferential extent of said drum and having their confronting ends separated by vacant spaces of substantial circumferential eXtent at the confronting ends thereof, and clamping plates secured to said segments in frictional engagement With the side edges of said plates whereby to hold them against displacement from said segments, said clamping means permitting the material of said plates to flow circumferentially under the printing pressure and said plates being free to enlarge circumferentially into said spaces Without opposition.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HARMON P. ELLIOTT. 

